1. Field of the Invention
Ball and socket connectors.
2. Description of Prior Art
Ball and socket connectors are well known in the art for connecting two rigid pipes so that they rock to dispose their axes in different angular relations to each other. Generally, the angular adjustment between two conduits connected by a single ball and socket is limited, and in order to afford a wider range of adjustment, a double ball and socket connector is desirable.
For example, in paint spraying operations, it is preferable that the container remain always in upright position to assure a proper supply of paint to the inlet end of the eduction tube. At the same time, it is desirable that the gun be swingable to different positions relative to the upright container so as to discharge in directions which may range from vertically upwardly through horizontal to downwardly. A double ball and socket connector is desirable for this purpose.
In prior ball and socket connections, the complementary surfaces of a ball and its socket are exposed to the liquid passing through the connection. If double ball and socket connections are used, they would be carried by opposite ends of a common hollow body of which the cavity wall also would be exposed to the liquid or paint passing through the joints.
However, if a painting operation is interrupted for too long an interval, the paint in the body of the connector and on the complementary surfaces of the balls and sockets tends to change in consistency, either by partial setting or by settling out of pigment. This can be carried to a degree, depending upon the time interval, which interferes seriously with renewed proper flow of paint through the connector when the operation is recommenced. If the interval of interruption is several hours, the paint in the connector can thicken and set to a degree interfering with the proper rocking of the balls in their sockets. Even with uninterrupted use, the paintflow tends to localize in a direct stream through the connector, leaving localized areas within the connector cavity in which the paint flow is negligible. The paint, in such localized areas or culs-de-sac, tends to form a thick slurry or sludge which, if somehow dislodged, interferes with or clogs the spray gun nozzle or gives an imperfect spray pattern. Due to these culs-de-sac, the connector cannot be cleaned effectively merely by passing the usual solvent or pigment carrying vehicle and the like through the connector and gun by a spraying operation. Instead, the ball and socket joints must be disassembled, the cavity in the body and the ball and socket parts cleaned, and the connector reassembled and reinstalled.